N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
UNITED STATES OF AM ERIC A,

Pla i ntiff-Appe lle e , v. KARL LER OY C OX,

De fe nda nt-Appe l la

nt. No. 20-30211

D.C . Nos. 5:09-c r-00001-TM B -M M S-1 5:09-c r-00001-TM B -M M S
M EM O R ANDUM *
Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of Ala ska Tim othy M . B urge ss, Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d Fe brua

ry 10, 2022 * * Se attle , W a s hington B e fore : B YB EE, B EA, a n d C HR ISTEN, C irc uit Judge s. Karl C ox ple a de d

guilty to distributing c

hild pornogra

p hy , in viola

tion of 18 U.S.C . §§ 2252(a)(2) a

nd (b)(1). He a

ppe a ls thre e of his spe c ia l c onditions of supe rvise d re le a se tha

t the distric t c ourt im

pose d following m

ultipleviola

tions of 

# FIL ED FEB 17 2022 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without oral a

rgum e nt. Se eFe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2).supe rvise d re le a se . W e have jurisdic tion pursua nt to 18 U.S.C . § 3742 a

nd 28 U.S.C . § 1291, a

nd we a ffirm

in pa rt, va c ate in pa

rt, a nd re m and. B e c a

use the pa rtie s are fam ilia

r with thefa c ts, we re c ite only those ne c e ssa

ry to de c ide the
a ppe a l. 1. As written, Spe c ia l C ondition 3, which ba rs C ox from

posse ssing a

ny Inte rne t-c a

pa ble de v ic e s, is unc onstitutiona l ly ove rbroa d. As a

n initial m atte r, C o x c onte nds tha

t Spe c ia l C ondition 3 a s writte n in thefina l judgm e nt c o nflic ts with the d istric t c o urt’ s ora l pronounc e m e nt a t se nte nc ing. “ Whe re the ora l pronounc e m e nt of a

de fe nda nt’ s se nte nc e is una

m biguous, but diffe

rs from the writte n se nte nc e , the ora l se nte n c e c ontrols.” Unite d State s v . Garc ia , 37 F.3d 1359, 1368 (9th C ir. 1994), abrogate d on othe r grounds by Unite d State s v . J ac k son , 167 F.3d 1280 (9th C i r. 1999). B ut “ whe re the re are am biguitie s in the
ora l pronounc e m e nt of these nte nc e , a nd the writing re s olve s the am b iguity ,” the writte n se nte nc e c ontrols. Id. R e a d in c o nte xt, the distric t c o urt’ s ora l pronounc e m e nt wa s a

m biguous be c a

use the re c ord c ould sugge st tha t the “ s a fe ty
va lve ” ( i.e
. , the la

n gua g e tha

t sa y s “ unle ss a

pprove d in a dva nc e by U.S. Probation” ) a

pplie s to Spe c ia l C ondition 3, but the re c ord c ould a lso sugge st tha t the “ sa fe ty

va lve ” a pplie s only

to Spe c ia l C ondition 4, which lim i ts C ox’ s a bility to live with othe rs who posse ss Inte rne t-c a pa ble de vic e s. The writte n judgm e nt
2c la

rifie s tha t Spe c i a l C ondition 4 c onta ins the “ sa fe ty va lve ” but Spe c ia l C o ndition 3 doe s not. Thus, Spe c ia l C ondition 3 in the writte n judgm e nt c ontrols. C ox c onte nds tha

t, if Spe c ia l C ondition 3 in the writte n judgm e nt c ontrols, it is unc onstitutiona

l ly o v e rbroa d. W e a gre e . W e have he ld tha t supe rvise d re le a se c onditions c om

ple te ly prohibiting de fe nda

nts c onvic te d of c h i ld pornogra phy
c ha rge s from a c c e s sing theInte rne t a

re unc o nstitutiona

lly ove rbroa d be c a

use suc h
c onditions re s tric t the use of de vic e s “ in situa t ions tha t be ar no re lat ion to prote c ting thepublic from c hild pornogra

phy or e xploita

tion, promoting
re ha bilita tion, or pre ve nting re c idivism .” Unite d State s v . Rile y , 576 F.3d 1046, 1049 (9th C ir. 2009). Thegove rnm e nt doe s not a rgue to the c ontra

ry . C f. Unite d State s v . Blink insop , 606 F.3d 1110, 1123 (9th C ir. 2010) (“ As the gove rnm e nt
c onc e de s, ba

nning [thede fe nda

nt’ s] Inte rne t usa ge c o ntrav e n e s [ Rile y ] .” ). Thus,
we va c ate Spe c ia l C ondition 3 for the distric t c ourt to re c onside r on limite d re m and
and to re vise the c ondition to c o nform to our pre c e de nt. Se e

, e .g. , Unite d State

s v . Re arde n , 349 F.3d 608, 620 (9th C ir. 2003) (a p proving a

c ondition tha

t prohibite d the d e fe nda

nt’ s “ posse ssion or use of a c om pute r with a c c e ss to a

ny onlinese rvic e at a ny loc ation without prior a

pprova l of the probation offic e r” ). 2. Spe c ia l C ondition 6, which pre ve nts C ox from be ing ne ar pla c e s de signa te d prim arily for m inors, is ne ithe r unc onstitutiona lly va gue nor 3unc onstitutiona lly ove rbroa d. W e hav e c onsiste ntly a ffirm e d c onditions sim

ila r to Spe c ia l C ondition 6, be c a use the y are “ a sta nda rd prohibition in c

hild-pornogra

phy
c a se s.” Id. at 1121; se e

, e .g. , Unite d State

s v . Gibson , 998 F.3d 415, 419–21 (9th C ir. 2021) (a

pproving c ondition tha

t de fe nda nt “ m ust not go to, or re

m a in a t, a ny pla c e prim a

rily use d by c hildre n unde r the a ge of 18, inc luding pa rks, sc hools, pla y grounds a

n d c hildc are fa c i litie s” ). 3. Spe c ia l C ondition 8, which prohibits C o x from posse ssing m ate ria l showing se xua lly

e xplic it c onduc t de e m e d

ina ppropria te by his tre atm e nt provide r or patroniz ing pla c e s whe re suc h m ate ria l is a va ila ble , is re m ande d for
c la rific ation. Spe c ia l C ondition 8 doe s not e xplic i tly inc orporate 18 U.S.C . § 2256,
a s the gove rnm e nt a

rgue s . If it ha d, § 2256(2) inc lude s subse c tion (A), whic h de fine s “ s e xua l ly

e xplic it c o nduc t,” and subse c t ion (B ), whic h provide s a diffe re nt de finition for the

sa m e te rm whe n use d for purpose s of subse c t ion 8(B ), c hild pornogra phy . If the distric t c ourt inte nde d to de fine “ se xua lly e xplic it c onduc t” by
re fe re n c e to § 2256(2), a s the gove rnm e nt a rgue s, Spe c i a l C ondition 8 would run
a foul of our de c ision in Unite d State s v . Gnirk e , be c a use it would pre ve nt C ox from patroniz ing pla c e s whe re the re m ay be de pic t ions of a dult se xua lly e xplic it
c onduc t, “ inc l ud[ing] m ovie the ate rs, book store s, libra rie s, the ate rs, a

nd la rge

4re ta ile rs a

nd groc e ry

store s tha

t se ll m a ga z ine s or R -ra te d m ovie s.” 7 75 F.3d 1155, 1161 (9th C ir. 2015). AFFIRM E D IN PART , VACAT E D IN PART , RE M ANDE D.

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